PHM Racing has announced its first driver for the 2023 Formula 3 season with Sophia Floersch making an unexpected return to the series.
22-year-old Sophia Floersch has announced an unexpected return to Formula 3 after making her debut in 2020. PHM Racing confirmed that the German would be the team’s first driver for the season. Floersch is the 26th driver to be announced overall.
First stint in F3
In 2019, Floersch was invited by HWA Team to participate in the Formula 3 post-season test in Valencia after finishing seventh in the Formula Regional European Championship. She became the first female driver in the Formula 3 series after joining Campos Racing for the 2020 season alongside Alex Peroni and Alessio Deledda. Floersch endured a miserable season riddled with mechanical failures that left her with a season-high finish of 12th place.
A Full Schedule in 2021 & 2022
Floersch was not retained in Formula 3 for the 2021 season and switched to Endurance Racing. She has a busy 2021 racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, FIA World Endurance Championship, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the European Le Mans Series. In 2022, she participated in the European Le Mans Series and the 24 hours of Le Mans, both with Algarve Pro Racing. Floersch finished 20th in the 24-hour series and 13th in the European Series – collecting one podium.
🚨 @SophiaFloersch returns to Formula 3! ✨
The German driver will compete for PHM Racing by Charouz in the season ahead 🙌#F3 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/2LpP91R3V6
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) February 9, 2023
Following the announcement, Floersch stated:
“I am really excited and very happy to return to FIA Formula 3 this season with PHM Racing by Charouz. My goal has always been to race with the best of the best. Since the beginning of my career, I have been working very hard towards this goal every day with my team in the background.”
Roland Rehfeld (Team Manager at PHM Racing) added:
“I have lots of respect for Sophia’s decision to come back to Formula sports and to take the challenge in this competitive field. She is very experienced in professional Racing in various classes and has a very professional attitude and working style. The racing world so far helped her to become even more ambitious and focused than many other male drivers.”
2023 F3 Lineup
With testing commencing on Tuesday, it’s not long till we find out if her time away from the series can improve her results.
- ART Grand Prix: Gregoire Saucy & Nikola Tsolov & Kaylen Frederick
- Campos Racing: Christian Mansell & Hugh Barter & Pepe Marti
- Carlin Racing: Hunter Yeany & Ollie Gray & TBD
- Hitech Grand Prix: Gabriele Mini & Sebastian Montoya & TBD
- Jenzer Motorsport: Alex Garcia & Nikita Bedrin & Taylor Barnard
- MP Motorsport: Mari Boya & Jonny Edgar & Franco Colapinto
- PHM Racing: Sophia Floersch, TBD, & TBD
- PREMA Powertrain: Paul Aron, Dino Beganovic & Zak O’Sullivan
- Trident Racing: Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Goethe & Leonardo Fornaroli
- Vans Amersfoort Racing: Tommy Smith & Rafael Villagomez & Caio Collet
